2010
#134,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 125
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Plaehn
A surname derived from a German place name or locational surname.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 119 Americans carry the last name Plaehn. That puts it at #153,590 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,880,289 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Plaehn surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
119
1 in 2,880,289
Census rank
#153,590
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
104
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 104 bearers of the surname Plaehn in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 153590th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Plaehn, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Plaehn
The surname PLAEHN is of German origin, originating in the northern regions of the country during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old German word "plahe," which referred to a small patch of cultivated land or a clearing in a forest. This suggests that the name may have been initially borne by individuals who lived in such areas or worked as farmers or foresters.
The earliest known record of the PLAEHN surname dates back to the 13th century, where it appears in various historical documents and parish records from the regions of Lower Saxony and Westphalia. One notable mention is found in the "Codex Diplomaticus Anhaltinus," a collection of charters and documents pertaining to the Principality of Anhalt, where a certain "Henricus Plaehn" is listed as a witness to a land transaction in the year 1257.
During the 15th century, the name gained prominence in the city of Lübeck, a prominent member of the Hanseatic League. Here, the PLAEHN family held influential positions within the city's merchant guilds and trade councils. Johannes PLAEHN (1420-1489), a successful merchant and alderman, was instrumental in negotiating trade agreements with the Dutch and Danish kingdoms.
As the name spread across German-speaking regions, it underwent various spelling variations, including Plähne, Plehne, and Plehnen. Interestingly, the town of Plehnen (now Plon) in the Duchy of Holstein is believed to have derived its name from the PLAEHN surname, rather than the other way around.
Notable individuals bearing the PLAEHN surname include:
1. Gottfried PLAEHN (1684-1747), a Lutheran theologian and professor at the University of Rostock.
2. Friedrich PLAEHN (1788-1861), a Prussian military officer who fought in the Napoleonic Wars.
3. Ida PLAEHN (1854-1936), a German author and educator who advocated for women's rights and education reform.
4. Karl PLAEHN (1865-1922), a renowned architect who designed several iconic buildings in Berlin and other German cities.
5. Erich PLAEHN (1892-1975), a German-American engineer who made significant contributions to the development of early television technology.
While the PLAEHN name has its roots firmly planted in German soil, it has since spread across various parts of the world, carried by emigrants and descendants of the original bearers. However, its origins and historical significance remain deeply rooted in the northern regions of Germany, where it first emerged as a marker of identity and lineage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Plaehn
Among Census respondents with the surname Plaehn, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Plaehn bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Plaehn surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.2% · 99
- Two or more races4.8% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Plaehn
Plaehn appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#153,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
-21 bearers (-16.8%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 18,878 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #134,712 | 125 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #153,590 | 104 | 0.03 | -21 bearers (-16.8%) | Down 18,878 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Plaehn surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #134,712 | #153,590 | -14.0% |
| Count | 125 | 104 | -16.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Plaehn bearers went from 125 to 104 (-16.8% change). The surname moved down 18,878 positions in the national ranking, going from #134,712 to #153,590.
FAQ
Plaehn surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Plaehn?
Name Census estimates that about 119 living Americans carry the surname Plaehn. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,880,289 residents.
How common is Plaehn?
Plaehn ranks #153,590 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 104 people with the surname Plaehn. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (119), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Plaehn.
Has Plaehn become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Plaehn went from 125 recorded bearers to 104. That is a decrease of 21 (-16.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #134,712 to #153,590.
What does the Census say about the background of Plaehn?
Among Census respondents with the surname Plaehn, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.8%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Plaehn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.2% (99 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Plaehn appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.2%), Two or More Races (4.8%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Plaehn (2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Plaehn mean?
A surname derived from a German place name or locational surname. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Plaehn (0.03 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Plaehn?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.